Protected's recent activity
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Comment on Disney decides it hasn’t angered people enough, announces Disney+ price hikes in ~tv
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Comment on What's a setting that you'd recommend? in ~tech
Protected (edited )Link ParentHow is the "principle of operations" different? In both situations light from the thing you're looking at is radiating into your eyes. Do you read physical books written in white ink on black...How is the "principle of operations" different? In both situations light from the thing you're looking at is radiating into your eyes. Do you read physical books written in white ink on black paper? If not, all the white in the paper is reflecting sunlight into your eyes.
EDIT: I may have misunderstood your comment. What I mean is that light is light, and it's highly unlikely that the brightness of your screen is closer to the brightness of the sun than the brightness of the page you're reading, unless you're reading in the dark, in which case reading would be more difficult. /EDIT
Here's a balanced article on the subject (with links). I think we've discussed this on tildes in the past.
Here's a more recent one, also with links to various studies.
As for the clearer benefits of dark mode, device battery is not a concern to me (I'm not usually on a battery-powered device) and f.lux is already dealing with the circadian and fatigue issues, so it comes down to personal preference and personal health issues.
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Comment on What "one-hit wonder" do you think has a discography worth exploring? in ~music
Protected Link ParentI've listened to their entire discography exhaustively in the car when I was attending university (up until Somewhere to Elsewhere). I can sing much of it too! Possibly my favorite american band.I've listened to their entire discography exhaustively in the car when I was attending university (up until Somewhere to Elsewhere). I can sing much of it too! Possibly my favorite american band.
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Comment on I'm Not a Robot in ~games
Protected Link ParentI never thought to try for another prompt. I was asked for the guitar cat.I never thought to try for another prompt. I was asked for the guitar cat.
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Comment on I'm Not a Robot in ~games
Protected LinkNo one else drew the line at the panorama? No panorama for me, TYVM.No one else drew the line at the panorama? No panorama for me, TYVM.
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Comment on What's a setting that you'd recommend? in ~tech
Protected Link ParentWhile we're on the subject, I will point out Firefox has a hidden setting that you can enable if you're truly concerned about fingerprinting. It will do things like randomize your timezone, fonts,...While we're on the subject, I will point out Firefox has a hidden setting that you can enable if you're truly concerned about fingerprinting. It will do things like randomize your timezone, fonts, etc. in order to make your fingerprint dynamic and thus unreliable to trackers. It's the strongest possible way I've found to defeat fingerprinting.
- Go to
about:config - Toggle
privacy.resistFingerprintingtotrue
Now, do I recommend the setting? It depends. It can be kind of a hassle when you're trying to use websites/webapps that legitimately need those things...
- Go to
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Comment on What's a setting that you'd recommend? in ~tech
Protected Link ParentI was concerned about this until I found out the real problem is the list of fonts installed in my system... It's unique.I was concerned about this until I found out the real problem is the list of fonts installed in my system... It's unique.
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Comment on What's a setting that you'd recommend? in ~tech
Protected Link ParentAnother dark mode hater here. (but I do use f.lux for the sake of my eyes). It's objectively easier to see things clearly in light mode for the same reason it's easier to see out in the sun than...Another dark mode hater here. (but I do use f.lux for the sake of my eyes).
It's objectively easier to see things clearly in light mode for the same reason it's easier to see out in the sun than in a dark room, provided you don't stare directly at the sun. And light mode has always been a far cry from staring directly at the sun as far as I'm concerned. It doesn't tire my eyes.
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Comment on Does anyone here enjoy a whisk(e)y ? in ~food
Protected Link ParentI could never stand the flavor of the stuff either. No disrespect meant to those who love it. I'll drink some other alcoholic beverages socially on rare occasions, but never whisky.I could never stand the flavor of the stuff either. No disrespect meant to those who love it. I'll drink some other alcoholic beverages socially on rare occasions, but never whisky.
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Comment on Is OpenWRT worthwhile at home? in ~comp
Protected Link ParentBy heavy duty I meant the router's ability to actually handle the bandwidth it's specced for. If you're happy with your current router, is there a reason to upgrade ahead of time? Ultimately if...By heavy duty I meant the router's ability to actually handle the bandwidth it's specced for. If you're happy with your current router, is there a reason to upgrade ahead of time?
Ultimately if your use cases aren't going to change you may just have to wait and see how things work out in your new place since the situation will be different with regard to walls, layout, neighborhood radio noise, etc.
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Comment on Is OpenWRT worthwhile at home? in ~comp
Protected LinkI've never been able to use OpenWRT because of their lack of support for routers based on Broadcom SoCs, which is purportedly Broadcom's fault (no open source support). Unfortunately when I last...I've never been able to use OpenWRT because of their lack of support for routers based on Broadcom SoCs, which is purportedly Broadcom's fault (no open source support). Unfortunately when I last purchased a router none of the OpenWRT supported devices that would have suited my needs were easy to procure around these parts. Looks like the list of supported hardware is currently in this link.
TP-Link consumer routers are fine for lightweight use but can be underpowered for heavy duty use. I have TP-Link routers here that still function just fine (probably) but I have them unplugged because they struggle to handle high bandwidth loads. According to the Virtual Desktop (the VR one) Discord, the Wirecutter top pick is not recommended because it doesn't support the 6ghz band.
I'm currently using Asus routers with asus-merlin .
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Protected Link ParentI enjoyed that when I played it last year! Good to see other people mentioning it. My comments are here in case you're interested.I enjoyed that when I played it last year! Good to see other people mentioning it. My comments are here in case you're interested.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Protected LinkI finally started Blue Prince with a couple friends! We're 14 hours in (I think 8 or 9 runs?) Blue Prince is an exploration and investigation roguelite with no combat, dialogue or NPCs. You play...I finally started Blue Prince with a couple friends! We're 14 hours in (I think 8 or 9 runs?)
Blue Prince is an exploration and investigation roguelite with no combat, dialogue or NPCs. You play as 14 year old Simon (so far as I'm aware), the grandnephew and heir of eccentric, puzzle-loving billionaire Herbert Sinclair. Sinclair passed away and left us his empire... so long as we can locate the 46th room hidden in his 45 room mansion. But in order to do so, we must respect a set of rules: We can't bring items into the mansion, we can't sleep in the mansion, we can't change the position of the furniture. So we're camping in the garden, and every day the mansion "resets" and we can try again from scratch.
And when I say the mansion "resets" I don't just mean the items. The big gimmick of the game is that the layout of the mansion is itself drafted from scratch on each day, out of a random selection of square-shaped rooms (blue prints) that you can place on a grid whenever you reach an unopened door - think Betrayal at House on the Hill. The grid has a fixed size, with certain cells (such as the entrance) having fixed particulars, and each room you encounter comes with its own set of furnishings, clues, benefits, hindrances and exit door directions that you need to leverage in order to make the mansion as big as possible and tease out as much information from it as you can before the end of the day. Some rooms are more common than others, and some have highly specific requirements that must be met before they can be drawn, used, or accessed. Simon has a limited number of "steps" (action points), representing his stamina, that must be expended whenever he goes from one room to another, and can be replenished by eating. When these reach 0 you are required to go to sleep immediately, forcefully ending the day.
My brother told me the game is good for the first 20 hours and then becomes annoying because you have to burn runs trying to randomly get rooms that you already know you need in order to make progress. Since I haven't gotten that far I don't know if that's true or not. So far, most of our runs have been fun and productive, having resulted in large, sprawling houses (there were only two "early day" failures). We have figured out several puzzles involving multiple (sometimes many) rooms, unlocked a bunch of permanent things, upgraded others, and collected a vast quantity of information, mostly in the form of screenshots. I never felt aimless in the game; there are always mysteries and loose ends that I know I want to do something about. Honestly, this seems like a consistent, surprisingly well designed (certainly more than Betrayal!) experience with good pacing (again, so far) and an acessible but challenging difficulty level. I'm enjoying it and looking forward to continuing it.
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Comment on Samification of the current Web in ~design
Protected Link ParentI'm feeling a little called out (Yes, this is how I talk/write now. I'm like Discworld's Death takes up coding.)people who are not programmers or dyslexic
I'm feeling a little called out (Yes, this is how I talk/write now. I'm like Discworld's Death takes up coding.) -
Comment on Nova Launcher discontinued in ~tech
Protected (edited )Link ParentI get the best first impression from this one (also tried Lawnchair and Niagara). Unlike the others, it does seem to support unlimited multiple pages that I can arrange freely, and it's fairly...I get the best first impression from this one (also tried Lawnchair and Niagara). Unlike the others, it does seem to support unlimited multiple pages that I can arrange freely, and it's fairly customizable for the stuff I need. It's also not constantly asking me for permissions without explaining why it needs them, which is something really noticeable if you have grapheneos.
EDIT: I have now successfully finished setting up and everything I use was available and configurable in the way I wanted.
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Comment on Looking for some video game suggestions based off some specific parameters in ~games
Protected Link ParentSorry, unfortunately it's not something I've delved into. Maybe someone else here will know.Sorry, unfortunately it's not something I've delved into. Maybe someone else here will know.
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Comment on Looking for some video game suggestions based off some specific parameters in ~games
Protected Link ParentMaybe we could all schedule a time and play a bit one of these days! I'm not sure whether at this point it's possible to play the game for free or not. It seems to cost a little money on steam but...Maybe we could all schedule a time and play a bit one of these days! I'm not sure whether at this point it's possible to play the game for free or not. It seems to cost a little money on steam but there's a download link in their website (which I didn't try yet).
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Comment on Looking for some video game suggestions based off some specific parameters in ~games
Protected LinkPlay Picross :D In all seriousness, you wrote mostly about card-based games. It's unclear to me whether Roguelites have too much progression for you and you like Slay the Spire in spite of those...Play Picross :D
In all seriousness, you wrote mostly about card-based games. It's unclear to me whether Roguelites have too much progression for you and you like Slay the Spire in spite of those mechanics, or if it irritates you that card-based roguelites are too similar to Slay the Spire but you'd be willing to try other roguelites?
I think you would have enjoyed old, unfortunately obscure Spectromancer. It's a computer card-like multiplayer game designed by Richard Garfield in which players start with a fully available spread of 20 cards (no unknown deck), 4 from each of 4 basic elements/mana types plus a special "element" of your choice. The players can't have repeated cards, and no two cards have the same mana cost, so your own hand tells you something about the opponent's. Moreover, there are a number of automatic constraints on hand composition that ensure that most of the time both players have a fighting chance. I had a lot of fun playing it back in the day, since it has a more level playing field than basically any CCG... The servers still seem to be up so if you wanted I'd be willing to play a few matches (though it's been several years), but unfortunately I don't think you would find a large enough player pool to justify getting into the game anymore...
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Comment on European Commission internally recommends Signal with disappearing messages in ~tech
Protected Link ParentPoliticians, law enforcement officers, intelligence agencies and militaries.Politicians, law enforcement officers, intelligence agencies and militaries.
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Comment on What's your current PC wallpaper? in ~tech
Protected Link ParentMechanically it's more of the same, though I'd say Talos 2 is just a better game, featuring among other things: Better puzzle design, built around the various tripod components and lasers instead...Mechanically it's more of the same, though I'd say Talos 2 is just a better game, featuring among other things:
- Better puzzle design, built around the various tripod components and lasers instead of the more haphazard assemblage of mechanics you had in Talos 1;
- Better looking with much higher budget graphics and better cinematography, although Talos 1 didn't look bad by any means;
- A bigger cast of characters and plenty of dialogue, all superbly voice acted.
Talos 2 does not feature things that are specific to the context of Talos 1, mainly narrative-related (I don't want to be too explicit since you're still working on it and I don't want to ruin any plot twists). The philosophical challenges of Talos 2 are their own thing. Do they have the same wow factor and originality of Talos 1? Probably not, but it wouldn't make sense to just reuse the same gimmick!
And last I knew Talos 2 was not available for VR, but Talos 1 is.
Yeah, I'm reading through this whole discussion and much of it is based on a flawed assumption:
I hate big studios. I hate the RIAA. I want these businesses to fail (and yet it's not gonna happen, even without any third party white knights valiantly defending them). I understand there are a lot of non-artist jobs attached to the music industry that provide added value, and I respect the expertise of the people who do them, but I've seen "the studios" resist progress with everything they could, using every legal system as a cudgel against their musicians' listener base. As Weird Al wrote, doesn't matter if you're a grandma or a seven-year-old girl, they'll treat you like the evil hard-bitten criminal scum you are.
The liberalization of music production and publishing has brought us far, but not yet far enough. The industry is still fiercely holding back progress. I remember the stories of people whistling songs while working a business and getting in trouble with performing rights' associations. What the hell? There still isn't a good music search engine. Stream it online and your video gets muted. You get a copyright strike in your e-mail. The only tenuous reason we're not still in the 1960s when it comes to music enjoyment is Youtube and its licensing deals, and even that doesn't work all that well most of the time. People attempt to construct projects around it, and a non-negligible amount can see years of work wiped out when a single artist wakes up in a bad mood and decides to flip a switch and get entire channels removed.
It's a strange system where basically everyone other than total parasites are getting screwed in one way or another. But no one without a cult-like following will ever again generate the kind of revenue 20th century artists did(n't actually get for themselves) anyway, so I say burn it all down and let people perform and enjoy music in peace.